devon

Jonathan MorrisSouth WestBBCKingsbridge Town Council urged people with no gas to turn off their supply at the mainsHomes and other buildings in south Devon have been left without gas after a mains pipe was damaged.The outage, which affects properties on the Wales & West Utilities network in the Kingsbridge and Salcombe area, started on Saturday afternoon with temperatures expected to drop to freezing overnight.Kingsbridge and Salcombe town councils urged people with no gas to call the National Gas…

Kirk EnglandSouth West environment and tourism correspondentBBCTourism bosses said 2026 is a crucial year for the industry after increases in operating costs for some during 2025The next 12 months have been described as "pivotal" to Devon's tourism sector with a need to cater to growing demands for travel involving wellness, the outdoors and nature.Adapting to "emerging travel trends" will help "get visitor numbers back up" said Sally Everton, general manager of Visit Devon.Owner of The Big Sheep attraction…

South Devon Railway is kicking off the new year with the return of its Winter Steam Gala.The three-day event which finishes on Sunday gives visitors the chance to ride behind a mix of heritage locomotives.The seven-mile heritage steam line runs through the picturesque River Dart valley, connecting Buckfastleigh to Totnes.Five engines will be in service, including two special guests, a Hunslet Works 1589 built in 1929 and Bagnall 2572 Judy, visiting from Bodmin Railway. Ernie Elsworth Wilson, general…

NOONANSFlorence Nightingale asked for Private Samuel Vickery to be her "orderly and effective bodyguard"A British military award medal given to a Devon-born soldier who kept Florence Nightingale safe during the Crimean War is being put up for auction.Noonans Mayfair said the Distinguished Conduct Medal was awarded to Pte Samuel Vickery of the Coldstream Guards for hand-to-hand fighting at the Battle of Inkermann on 5 November 1854.Pte Vickery was part of the force which "held the Russian enemy at…

Opticians are starting a challenge to run, walk and cycle 6,214 miles (10,000km) in 2026 - one kilometre for each person estimated to be living with sight loss across Devon and Cornwall.Optician Tom Mannering said: "This number has real meaning for us and sight loss impacts people on a daily basis."The extreme challenge is the brainchild of the team at Huxter and Davy Opticians which has branches in Kingsbridge, Torpoint, Looe, and Padstow, as a way of "giving…

People have been evacuated from homes and a road closed after a lorry crashed into a building, which resulted in a gas leak. Devon and Cornwall Police asked residents in Buckfastleigh, Devon, to shut windows and doors on Friday morning after a lorry hit the side of a building and a parked van at Higher Mill Lane. It said no injuries were reported and the lorry was recovered. Wales & West Utilities said a gas service pipe, supplying…